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(IBTimes) Italian investigators have opened an inquiry into claims by a convicted pedophile priest that an underage prostitution ring has been operating inside the Holy Roman Church with clergymen hiring rentboys for sex inside churches.

Poggi, who served a five-year sentence for abusing teenage boys while he was a parish priest at the San Filippo Neri church in Rome, said he made the allegations to “protect the Holy Church and the Christian community.”

The boys were chosen because they were starving and desperate, he claimed, according to Il Messaggero newspaper.

The former policeman used to recruit the boys, mostly eastern European immigrants, outside a gay bar named Twink near Rome’s Termini train station. He reportedly sat in his Fiat Panda – marked “Emergency Blood” to avoid parking fines – to make his selection.

He was helped in the recruitment process by a friend who ran a modelling agency. He lured underage boys into prostitution through “false work offers for modelling and acting roles”, Poggi said.

The agent also looked for rentboys at gay discos, saunas and gyms across Rome. An accountant was also said to be involved.

The boys were paid €150-€500 (£130-£425) to perform sex acts in church premises across the capital.

Poggi also accused the former Carabinieri of selling consecrated hosts for satanic rites.

Poggi reportedly presented documentary and photographic evidence to police in the company of two senior Vatican clergymen who vouched for his credibility.

Poggi identified the nine clergymen, including two senior church officials and a religion lecturer. Three people have been placed under formal investigation.

The allegations were rejected by the Vatican. Cardinal Agostino Vallini, head of the Catholic Vicariate of Rome, said the priest made false claims out of a desire for vengeance and personal resentment.

The Vatican refused to reinstate Poggi after he served his term.

“The cardinal expresses his full confidence in the magistracy and declares himself full convinced that this slander will be demolished, demonstrating Poggi’s claims to be untrue,” Vallini said.

[...] CathNewsUSA reports the allegations are rejected by the Vatican: Cardinal Agostino Vallini, head of the Catholic Vicariate of Rome, claims Poggi’s allegations are made from a desire for vengeance. [...]

Is it not wrong to have sex with children? Is it not wrong to be a clergyman and give into lustful temptations? Is it not especially wrong to have gay sex with another human being? I’m no catholic but from what I know from my religion it is. These clergymen hide behind their wall, claiming to be ordained by God to do his will. This is not God’s will. No matter how many confessions you give you cannot be saved from your crimes. These clergymen will burn in the fire. They will not be welcome in God’s Kingdom. All who are hiding and all who help to hide the hidden, listen well. You will not escape God’s justice. You will be punished for your crimes. When Jesus returns and takes his congregation, you shall be left behind to suffer just as you made those boys suffer. You disgusting creatures of satan.

Donald, no person is without redemption; God’s mercy is as great as God’s justice. Irrespective of your denomination, I refer you to the ministry of Jesus. Even from the cross he forgave the sinners who put him there! What an example. Pray for these clergymen; your condemnation is not Christian.

time to change your rules for priests to get married. and if this does not solve the problem, maybe it’s time to bring in the WOMEN. WHY CAN’T WOMEN BE PRIESTS??? SOUNDS KIND OF SEXIST TO ME. LIKE A CULT!

Elizabeth, that is exactly the attitude that is destroying the Church – people who refuse to acknowledge the horrible things done by those in power. You turn a blind eye to the wicked deeds of those you want to trust. The evil acts will not necessarily kill the church, but indifference will kill it. Even if only half the things are true, we can not afford to simply look the other way or deny that they exist. Evil’s greatest ally is indifference.

The best cover-up is a facade of immaculateness. You can only claim for so long that these people wouldn’t do this because they’re “men of God.” I hope the world will wake up from this fairytale god illusion soon.

Dear Flying Spaghetti-for-Brains, how do you know it’s an illusion? Is “science” supposed to have “proved” it? Which equation? Could it be E=mc2 or F=ma? These are the actual results of experimental science, and they have nothing to say about whether God exists or not. What does one call someone like you who has blind faith in a cartoon version of science? It would be an insult to the children who love Bugs Bunny to say they are no smarter than you.

It’s all devil worship you praise a son which is a another word for sun which is light which is Lucifer title light bringer duuuuur. We live in a world where the truth is right in front of us and everyone ignores it lol

You got that idea from Zeitgeist i’m guessing. The problem with the son=sun thing is that it was originally written in another language. In english you can make the connection, but that wasn’t the case originally.

what are the two greatest commandments? they are ; love God with thy whole heart, thy whole mind, and thy whole soul.
love thy neighbor as thyself.
those two things are the governor of our beings. when you step outside these boundaries, you have hurt someone. wether its immediate or not, you have. marry once, and dont have premarital sex. divorce hurts people around you, its your children friends and family. when you have sex before marriage, you might not marry that person who put so much heart into you that the other was going to marry just you and probably be happy forever. having children outside of marriage, having a child grow up without proper role models. lying, cheating, pedophelia all hurt someone. i was the victim of a sexual predator myself, when i was eight years old. he was a homosexual fulfilling his desires on me. i didnt understand, and i am scarred everyday of my life by it. you cant trust a person who is with someone who they are attracted to. thats how rape, incest, early teenage pregnancy, and sexual scars happen. the passing around of terrible diseases to others who dont understand what is happening. these are the things the Church teaches. the Church and the vatican are two different things. the Church is the teachings, the vatican is supposed to be the teacher. the lessons are supposed to never change. that way we could know when we heard the truth over the lies. i follow the Church, and i research what the Church is. people will fail, the teachings will not.

Most paedophiles are non-partisan where gender is concerned. They are not homosexual, because their primary focus of sexual arousal isn’t other men/males. They’re not hetero either, because it’s not anything specifically female that arouses them. They are Paedophiles, and only aroused by pre-pubescent children. Of either gender. Just because many paedophiles marry, as a cover for their real desires. That doesn’t make him hetero. It makes him a married paedophile. The relevant factor being sex with children.

Is anyone surprised by this? When you have a religion that condemns the naturalness of sex for these priests who are then surrounded by little boys all day, I’m frankly not surprised. I don’t blame the men, I blame the church. If you don’t follow their rules you apparently burn in hell, motivation enough to find loopholes and have sex with boys.

Christ was not first in the lives of these clerics. Pope Francis has said priests should not be careerists. A very sad state of affairs that is in society. Pedophilia, pornagraphy,
bestiality, lesbianism, homosexuality, marital infidelity,and the saga goes on.
Pray and fast

To our CathNewsUSA readers: we have decided to remove the comments from a few readers who were attempting to justify pedophile attractions as long as someone doesn’t act on them. We appreciate vigorous debate and an open, compassionate dialog at CathNewsUSA but we felt these comments crossed the line. -ed

No, homosexuality is an attraction to adults/people your own age of the same sex. Pedophilia is an attraction to children. They are very different. Take Jerry Sandusky. Married to a woman for decades with children but also a pedophile who molested boys.

Thats like saying if a rapist rapes another man, it’s not rape,, because they were both homos. If the rapist is married to a woman, but only puts the rape to men, then he’s not committing a sexually genrefied act at all. Sort of more like just stabbing hm with a blunt knife, made from penis.

“Documented” by whom? Heterophobic apologists? You don’t even know. What a Politically Corrupt little goosestepping windup toy you are. Sexual abuse is about sexual desire first and foremost, otherwise sexuality needn’t come into the picture — a thousand and one non-sexual ways exist to exert power (duh). On the other hand, the depraved heart that homosexual perversion leads to will grease the skids for other, even worse perversions. That is the universal experience of all times and all places talking.

Sexual abuse is mainly about power. Whether it’s power over an under-aged child or power over a helpless woman, it’s all rape and it’s all about power. Most pedophiles are actually straight men and normally married. So many times, you will see people say that the pedophile was such a nice man or such a good man. Guess why.

That is actually not true. Pedophilia is a paraphilia, those who are pedophiles are attracted to children, the children they vecitimize is based on access and availability not on the predator’s sexual orientation.

How did you become the big know-it-all, C Robinson? You don’t have a clue what you’re talking about, or whether it’s true. All you know is what it says in your media-puppeteered goose-stepping orders. And you have forfeited all common sense. Priests who rape boys are not attracted to men? So male pedophilia is not homoerotic? Heterophobic trolls like you will do and say ANYTHING to assassinate truth out of the minds of men.

THAT is what you took away from this, “Where’s the satanism”? Selling young boys for cash to perform sex acts on priests ON CHURCH GROUNDS, and you’re on about satanism? You need to get your head re-wired, sister…

Pedophilic rites have often been associated with satanism. In order to rise through the ranks, one is required to sodomize a child along with many other grotesque and disgusting practices. this isn’t the only connection between the catholic church and satanism. I would encourage all of you to commit some time to research and get to know your local catholic church a bit better. Knowledge is power

Satanists are just a sub-cult of Christians anyway. They have the same God, the same Books and Scriptures.They share canon, with virtually no points of contention. They just approach the religion from a diamtrically oppositional starting pont. Armageddon. They consider this to be going on right now, (as do many of the frothier christians) Satanism isn’t about being evil, it’s about choosing not to obey, or conform, or worship God out of fear.

The Church of Satan states that they actually don’t believe in any gods. That means they don’t believe in Satan either. They are quite atheist.
Since Catholic leaders aren’t allowed to marry, their bodies that are biologically wired to procreate will find a means to satisfy these urges. This isn’t a ritual – they’re just confused humans. Not defending their actions, just saying they need to rethink their right to marry. After they serve time in prison of course. Being in a religion doesn’t make you exempt from the law.
Don’t end a paragraph with “knowledge is power” when you don’t know what you’re saying.

It certainly doesn’t help. The Eastern Orthodox Church, to the outsider, looks extremely similar to the Catholic Church and is roughly as old, with one really, really important difference: They realized long ago that celibacy was a problem, and built in a loophole that allows (and encourages) men to marry before they enter the priesthood, and have families. Over 90% of Eastern Orthodox priests and deacons are married and most have families.

Which might explain why, despite being pretty large (about 1/5 the size of the Catholic Church) you don’t see articles every goddamn week exposing the cover-up of widespread child rape.

The Catholic Church in the whole, I would like to think, is good and represents a great idea. With any group of people, ranging from a small community based group, to a national community, to a local or national government, ideals/rules are established based around a set of principles that can better the quality of life of the participating individuals. At the same time there are specific individuals in any group that will make poor decisions and will tarnish the main goals and cultural ideals of the group. This will inevitably occur in any large group over a period of time. No large group of people with power is ever perfect and it must be understood the actions of a few individuals should not define the whole group.

I think the problem here is much deeper than you’re admitting. The church teaches that sex outside of marriage is wrong, that homosexuality is a sin, and that priests should be celibate. These men who find themselves either attracted other men or to children realize they have no recourse – they can’t get psychiatric help because they’ll be branded monsters by society. They can’t marry, even to men, because thats “a sin in God’s eyes.” So they join the priesthood and decide to remain celibate. At least that way they serve God without giving in to their desires, they think. Yet, down the road their desires are still stuck with them because they’re biological and can’t be ‘cured’ by prayer. So, they make terrible mistakes. The real problem here is the church’s teaching about sexuality. Where in Christ’s semon on the mount did he condemn the homosexuals to hell? He barely speaks about marriage an sexuality in the bible, and yet the Catholic church has decide to pick and choose rules form the old testament that end up doing more harm than good. The blame rests with them.

The catholic church represents oppression of thorught through manipulation, using fear and guilt. It’s not something that represents “good”. Jesus is something that represents “good”. And I imagine he would be disgusted at the multi-million dollar churches these assholes propagate their fear from. Catholicism isn’t about love. It’s about submission.

You represent evil lies, Ted Danson. The Church has taught me and countless billions of others, to our complete satisfaction, how to handle fear and guilt, which are natural and inevitable human emotions. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, said the OLD Testament, and guilt is what you are already experiencing I-F you still have a conscience.
Nobody is saying YOU still have one, Danson.
How stupid your sanctimony is: love is the opposite to submission? So what do you call submission to God and his commandments? Hate?
Whether Christ would be disgusted at the institution of the Church today, I can’t say; maybe so. Then again, maybe the problem is the infiltration of Satanic cultists who think just like you (only not quite so stupid in not knowing where their hate comes from). One thing is crystal-clear, though: Christ would be beyond disgusted at you and cheap-shot guttersnipes like you.

So, to summarize your comment: The Church is good, it has taught you to judge and condemn others, and you don’t know what Jesus would think but you actually do know, for certain. That’s some epic mental gymnastics.

Let me guess, in your head, your god (which is not the same God as anyone else imagines) hates all the same people you do, right? Like this guy, for starters. Talk about tolerance and acceptance all you like; your religion is just a convenient feel-good outlet that you’ve manipulated to fit your biases and prejudices. Coward.

I think what you mean is… the catholic RELIGION is good on the whole. The church is an evil organization, that, at the very top of it’s ranks has hidden these crimes and MANY others (including money laundering, child trafficking, child slavery and more) … and even denied their existence. The CHURCH (as an organization) is worse than most corporations… but let’s not forget that it IS a money making entity and SHOULD classify as a corporation. As an organization it has perpetrated and then knowingly hidden many of it’s crimes, then CONTINUED to do them. To defend the church is outrageous at this point. Defending your faith is fine, but the church creates the hierarchy that makes this dominance … and destructive mentality possible. I say, practice your faith on your own time and respect other people enough to STOP SUPPORTING THE CHURCH!

I defend the Church at this point, but you’re the one who’s outrageous. Do you really think the people committing the atrocities you (incompletely) list are really “Catholics”? Did it never cross your walnut-sized brain that maybe, just maybe the Vatican was infiltrated by Satanic cultists? The crimes you detail sound for all the world like JUST the sort of things devil-worshippers would do. And you might as well be one of them yourself if you shield them by sneering “conspiracy theorist” at me. You can’t recognize that as a CONDITIONED RESPONSE?? And Who do you think the conditioner might be? (Or look at it another way, whoever is reading this: Who except conspirators benefits from the mindless taboo on conspiracy FACTS? (cui bono?)
I will continue supporting the Church (within reason), because I don’t accept that it should be abandoned to the devil and his own.

It’s convenient to disassociate the church from it’s acts — but sadly, it is the CHURCH that has protected and hidden these pedophiles away while being completely aware of their acts… at best to spare their reputation, at worst because it’s condoned and accepted within the ranks.

I understand that practitioners of their faith will use whatever cognitive dissonance they can muster to protect an organization they believe in.. but the catholic church is in no way a force for good — their history clearly shows this.

Catholics, however? They are human beings and certainly run the gambits of good, bad, and otherwise.

When did a know-nothing like you become the big know-it-all, all of a sudden? You know NOTHING about the Church’s history, ignoramus, which is quite glorious indeed, notwithstanding all the infiltration it has had to fight off, repeatedly.
But pedophilia is WAY beyond “cognitive dissonance”. Why can’t you scope the possibility (now actuality) that these people are Satanic cultists? The pedophile “priests” are condoned because their superiors are the chief culprits — that was the message of the (so-called) Third Secret of Our Lady of Fatima: that Satan would be enthroned after 1960 and that the upper hierarchy would lead the Church astray from the top.

Jesus Fake Christ would be appalled at the hatred, bigotry, etc, etc sins you’ve committed in these comments. You’re the angriest commercial I’ve ever heard for christianity. Also your stupid Satanic cultist infiltration theory is literally amazing in how much it exposes your denial, and your blind faith that any ‘man of the cloth’ can do wrong. Catholic priests be molestin boys 24/7/364. stop defending them you lunatic. The way you run around screaming and raving, one would think you realized the church was burning down, and religion is coming to it’s inevitable end, thank god.

I understand that all groups of people on the planet are made up of imperfect humans. The Catholic church doesn’t seem to view itself that way – that some of its members are fallible. They’ll deny and cover this thing up to the best of their ability, like they have in the past, and that’s what shameful about them.

It’s bad that a group of men in an organization are abusing boys. They should be shut down and punished for it.

It’s ALSO bad that their organization itself is working to hide their actions.

News flash: The percentage of priests who abuse children is the same as the percentage of the rest of the population that does. The only reason everybody associates priests with paedophilia is that we’ve heard about it more in the news.

News flash: NOBODY is supposed to abuse children. But I sincerely doubt the numbers are the same as the rest of the population. Just another Catholic apologist… keep apologizing, you’ve got 2000 years worth of genocide, castrations, misogyny, wars, pedophilia, homophobia, and a myriad of other human rights abuses to atone for.

Except you don’t *choose* to born white. You may, however, choose simply to not associate yourself with an institution such as the Catholic Church that has such a long track record of child sexual abuse…

How long? You don’t even know what you’re talking about. According to the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, priestly pedophilia started happening in the 1960s and 1970s and has TAPERED OFF since then. Before that it was virtually unknown, even though people are still alive today who could testify to its happening earlier, had it happened earlier. See the link to this study below, hate-monger.

Catholic Priests have been raping young boys since the 1200sm at least! Sodomising prisoners on the Crusades was considered aftr dinner entertainment for these Good Catholic Warriors, all sanctioned by the Priesthood, of course.

Well, uhmm… I’d take a slightly better tone if the Catholic Church voluntarily did ANYTHING to apologize and compensate rape victims instead of fighting lawsuits tooth and nail in court! Another case, just this week in the news, the Irish government has decided to compensate victims of the Magdalene laundries but where’s the church? Still silent.. I hope they rot – I almost wish there was such a thing as a hell for them to go to!

John, why do you accept his lowbrow, Nazi-like, cartoon version of history? Is he some kind of authority to you? Where do you think he got his “learning”? You really think Leftist thugs and Communist propagandists can be trusted to give a truthful version of Church history? By blackening Christianity, the Socialists hope to whitewash their own, indisputable crimes of the 20th century (or, if that isn’t possible, then at least to create the appearance of moral equivalence); and incidentally sock it to Christians, their hate-fetish and the impediment to their lust after the kingdom, the power, and the glory for themselves. You need to wise up and quit giving them the benefit of the doubt.

assuming that the ped rates in priest are identical to main population, then the known fact that they are shuffled around and will do it again means that the % of peds may be same, but the number of abuses would be expected to be larger per abuser.

Thanks to the upper hierarchy of the Church, which is where the Satanic infiltration began. It’s just common sense, really, that if you want immunity, then you have to control the very top of the chain of command in any hierarchy. None of this could possibly be happening if the highest authorities of the Church (I call them “their Satanic majesties”) were not ALREADY in charge BEFORE the epidemic was let loose.

a. They’re supposed to be celibate.
b. They have power over children via Catholic schools, the sacraments (confessions, confirmation, etc.)
c. The faith they teach expressly forbids any sexual acts outside of marriage
d. The faith they preach condemns homosexuals and others who don’t conform to the church’s prescribed sexual standards.

So it seems just a little bit hypocritical to most people that these abuses happen within the church itself and then get covered up by high church officials.

Also because there have been repeated efforts by people in the church to cover it up, which makes it more scandalous. But I think I read somewhere that the percentage of sexual abuse among priests is actually lower than the general population.

Many of these priests who get shuffled around, as you say, didn’t do anything wrong and are victims of overzealous parents and youths. Example: I had a priest as a teacher in school. He would walk up and down the aisle, put his hand on the shoulders of students, and ask if they were having a nice day… that’s it. Some girl felt uncomfortable, complained to her parents, and he gets shipped out to the middle of nowhere the next month…all for putting his hand on the shoulder of a student. I agree, there are MANY flaws and this article brings some potential ones to light, but many of the priests who are moved around are done so in a cautionary manner. Not defending the actions of the bad ones, but keep in mind that there are two sides to everything.

So are public school teachers, but the media never make a “cause celebre” out of that. But of course … the public schools are run by the Socialist state while priests are under the church of Christ. And the Satanic agenda is in plain view all over again.

They have the anonymity of being one out of hundreds of millions of ordinary folks. The Catholic Church has been Public Enemy Number One of the devil’s own since whenever. But now the devil has gotten inside the Church (he’s been inside you ever since you became a Politically Corrupt goose-stepper).

Assuming that the distribution of pedophiles is more or less uniform across cultures, races, and nations would be correct. Assuming it’s the same in the Church is incorrect. Priesthood is a voluntary act to join a respected group of society but simultaneously have ones sexuality be ‘non-descript’. There is a HUGE incentive for pedophiles to join to escape suspicion and live in the Church. Plus the benefit of having a protection scheme in existence in some circles is not only an unforgivable ethical crime committed by certain bishops, it is an unmistakable tool for RETAINING pedophiles rather than firing them from the priesthood. If the incentive is there they will continue to join, if they are not reported and their crimes are swept under the rug then they will continue to infect the Church. Allow priests to marry & also allow women to become priests. If marriage is a sacred institution, honor it in the priest hood. If pedophiles are reviled, report their crimes and have them arrested rather than sweeping it under the rug.

You were right on target until you veered off into celibacy. The priesthood has been celibate since at least the 11th century (and from time to time young priests and monks have been caught fooling around normally with peasant girls), but nothing like the Satanically wicked pedophilia epidemic of today. Pedophiles DO most certainly have an incentive to join a Church THAT IS ALREADY INFILTRATED AT THE TOP. How did it get that way? Hint: it has nothing to do with celibacy but everything to do with the Third part of the Secret of Our Lady of Fatima (which is child’s play to look into now that you have the internet as a resource).

belief in god…eh, kinda ignorant, but understandable. Belief in satan is just plain stupid. Also not sure how repeatedly saying the Catholic church is infiltrated at every level by child molesting Satanists is supposed to be you defending the church?

If you’re trying to defend priests, then shouldn’t there be a much lower incidence of child abuse in the church?
After all those decades of a “proper christian upbringing” and church approval, they aren’t any better than any other joe schmo child abuser?

No Christian EVER said that morals “come from” the church; here is what Christianity actually DOES say: “For when the Gentiles, who have not the law [of Moses], do by nature those things that are of the law; these having not the law are a law to themselves: who show the work of the law written in their hearts” (Romans 2:14-15).
As for “defending priests” — Can’t you read? Look at ricky’s posting directly above mine, directly above yours. Are pedophiles really priests? or infiltrators?

The reason why everybody associates priests with pedophilia is because of the active cover up. If the church needs to actively cover it up, then the percentage is higher than you think it is… Any sane organization would distance itself from people who abuse children, not defend them and blame the kids.

@timmy
There’s a huge difference between having an illness they didn’t ask for and acting on the urges. Of course it’s unfair to execute everyone that has it, however those that choose to ruin the lives of young children to satisfy their sexual urges should absolutely be dealt with in a very harsh manner. If they’re raping children they obviously aren’t very celibate..

It’s important to differentiate the difference between a pedophile and a child molester. Current understanding of the sexual spectrum suggests that there are plenty of people with some level of attraction to children who do *not* act on it, and that some people are attracted to both children *and* adults their own age, and so live normal lives.

If I have sexual thoughts about a woman who’s not interested in me, then it’s a harmless fantasy. If I force myself on that woman, then it’s rape.

If a pedophile feels sexual feelings toward a child, then that’s simply a personal fantasy. If he *acts* on those feelings, then it’s rape, and the perpetrator should be prosecuted like any other predatory criminal. The distinction between thinking and doing is *extremely* important, lest we label everyone with unusual sexual urges a criminal.

So everyone is completely insane except for Frank. I don’t even have words that describe how crazy everyone is here that is in any way sticking up for this madness. I am embarrassed to be part of the human race because of you people.

This posting has become so popular that tens of thousands of people have tried to connect to it and our servers have crashed. We appreciate all comments but have had to edit commenters for language and vicious, ad hominem attacks. As always, we welcome a vigorous debate but we will remove foul language and attacks that are simply personal in nature and don’t further the conversation. We also encourage people to have the courage of their convictions and to use their real names and not simply an anonymous online name. -ed

The catholic church is an institution of lies and satanism. It always has been. This is about the control and subjugation of humanity. They will fall to their own corruption. No one should be allowed to rape and murder our children!

Grown men sodomizing teenage boys all while wearing cloaks which supposedly make them “men of god”? You religious cretins need to wake up and understand that there is no invisible man in the sky who will do anything about this and so we, fellow humans, must deal justice to scum like these rapists. Pathetic.

People are people, so why should it be, that you and I get along so awfully? So we’re different colours, and we’re different creeds; and different people have different needs. It’s obvious you hate me though I’ve done nothing wrong. I never even met you, so what could I have done? I can’t understand what makes a man hate another man; help me understand.

Punishment must have an element of a lesson in it. The object of punishment is to encourage a transgressor to adjust their behaviour to a more acceptable social norm. Paedophiles are notoriously recidivist, and will rarely change their behaviour patterns, simply to fit in. After rehabilatative treatment, they either (rarely) A/ give up sex completely, for moral considerations learned in THE rehab process. Or B/Become a lot more devious and careful, so as not to get caught again. So punishment, in the case of a paedophile, loses it’s moral high ground, because it is ineffective and therefore, purely an act of vengeance.

Child rape is usually without the violence associated with adult rape, not simply because a small child wont fight back, but also that the paedophile considers his actions as an expression of affection and love for a child whom he genuinely is fond of. He dosn’t (as a rule) use violence at all, preferring the seduction processes known as “grooming”, which pretty much follow the same patterns (covertly of course) as any other courtship.

Wow. So many people know everything. It’s an honor to be in your presence. Everything about anything everywhere. What it must be like to know everything and be so sure of it. Sigh. I’m just a poor theist that doesn’t know much and must be weak because of my belief in a greater power.

The act is deplorable. Humans are deplorable. Humans are the problem, not religion. Catholicism has relegated men to be honored and worshipped above one another; this is where the problem lay. Men will ALWAYS mess things up.

And in the process he called humans deplorable. He said humans were the problem. What kind of person says that about himself? A masochist, that’s who.

The worst thing about religion is that it tries to tell us that humans are bad. We’re not, we’re born good, and we’re capable of finding our own set of morals.

I’ve heard religious people say that without faith, people would just go around raping and killing each other. It truly scares me, that the only thing standing between them and genocide, is a 400 year old book (assuming they believe in the bible).

that is a very negative philosophy, true. On the other hand, I do think that faith can be helpful to those that need help. Some people don’t need it, good for them. Some people use it for evil, shame on them.

Human beings are not born good OR bad. Good and Bad are concepts and words we have created to define states of viewed character. Good and Bad is taught and can mean completely different things to EVERY person. Just look at Catholics who believe gay people are evil, or Muslims who believe Americans are evil. Get your head out your ass and get an education

This is an issue of extremes and receiving one’s message on face value. Not all humans are deplorable, and not all are virtuous. However, to not have any awareness of fault in oneself or his fellow man might cause you to overlook those deplorable acts.

Furthermore, my biggest quarry with theists is their disbelief in humanity. It makes me cringe every time a religious person belittles or completely reject the good in people. Worst of all is when christians or catholics try to convince people that we are sinners from the get-go, and redemption is the only way for salvation.

Saying that humans are deplorable says a whole lot more about you than it says about the world.

It’s alright to have faith, but you should place it where it’ll make a difference – in the real world.

True, I don’t think humans are inately evil either. What faith can do is insure that your mind is full of positive thought vs full of negative. Its unfortunate that a person with faith does not have faith in god’s own creation.

Didn’t the bible write something about God wanting to destroy all of humanity cause he made a mistake? In Genesis I think. Maybe they take that to heart? That’s why that Jesus fellow came around right? Personally I think the bible is a worthless piece of garbage… I don’t mind people who have faith outside the bounds of the book though. A lot of them are very respectable who follow only the teachings/stories of Christ rather than the man-made bible of contradictions.

The thing that doesn’t seem to be soaking into your head, Snapfu, is that humans ARE religion. Even if there was a god, god is not religion. People are religion. They started it, they perpetuate it, they pervert it, and they defend it. Religion is the problem BECAUSE people are the problem.

The issue is that your statement “humans are the problem” is absolutely against what the church teaches. According to your church’s teachings, that humans are intrinsically good. And yeah, relying on a higher power to sort everything out in the end is kinda weak. I wasn’t gonna say anything but you went ahead and did it for me.

Is it not, like politics, a given that the vast majority, especially those who rise to the top of the hierarchy (if they actually rise) are already in “the club” and therefore a very serious part of the problem? Just askin’…

The problem about people saying “This isn’t the church god/Jesus intended” is why isn’t their all powerful God doing anything to correct it? Its more like a bad parent letting their children run feral while punishing them for actions caused by no intervention and lack of proper guidance. It calls itself a ‘Heavenly Father’, it’s about time it started acting like one.

So God doesn’t do anything at all right? Considering we have free will, that means everything that happens to us is on us, not on God. Why do people ask him for stuff? Why do they thank him when they do the things they do? If God really did exist, it sounds like he created life with intellect and just left it to do it’s own thing while he went to go do something else.

That’s pretty much what I think god would be like, if there was a god. He’d be like a scientist (hehe!) who’s observing us through a microscope or something. Whatever happens in the petri dish is up to the bacteria colony, god-scientist is just observing and not interfering.

Jesus was a humble man who wouldn’t have intended that a corrupt, perverted monarchy would rise up in his name. The Roman Catholic Church needs to be de-centralized to rid ourselves of all of these hypocrites. Each Catholic Church should be run locally where the parishioners can keep a close eye on their priests. The Vatican should be turned into a museum.

The reasoning for the Vatican is to organise and regulate its branches so offshoots and new teachings that aren’t approved wont happen. If churches parse out then they would need to organise a group of people to keep in teachings that are approved…and then you have the Vatican again

Pope Francis may have to act faster than he ever dreamed if the Church is going to be saved – while Francis has been a shot in the arm for a very sick church – he has to be willing to do radical surgery soon. If half of those things that have been surfacing are true, the church is going to feel serious repurcussions from the faithful. There is only so much more that the people of God will be willing to endure before there is an even greater mass exodus. The bright side is the it looks like Francis is not going to hide these things as has been the policy of his predecessors.

I’m with you except about them not being sick. It is a sickness, and that is why they need our compassion. Something isn’t right with either brains. They should be encouraged not to indulge those feelings, not simply rejected by society for simply having them.

virped, I’m trying to be as understanding as possible in this instance and not simply delete your comment for its apparent defense of pedophilia. Let me just be clear: of course a pedophile’s acting out on their attraction is a crime. Having that attraction–even if it isn’t acted upon–might not be illegal but it is clearly disordered and sick. To be clear, CathNewsUSA is open to differing opinions but–while we always endeavor to be compassionate in our response–we won’t tolerate rationalizations/justifications of sickness as just another sexual orientation to be considered.

pedophelia is a subject covered by several aspects. From a psychological aspect it derives from a persons brain not developing in a certain manner. Generally as we grow older our brain is attracted to the same age bracket through emotional development. Pedophiles on the other hand dont go through such development therefore they are attracted to whom they would have been at the age of 10, 11 etc. Due to our social standards on a legal basis pedophiles are characterized as a person whom engages in sexual acts with a minor. So it changes with the perspective. I myself see it as simply an emotional development issue apposed to anything else. I dont choose to be attracted to 20 year old women I just am…therefore the same is true for a pedophile and homesexuals. The issue is that because our society deems sex with a minor as an illegal act thats the final ruling. And having sex with a minor isnt really regarded as “gross” per say its based around the fact that our officials have deemed a person of a certain age bracket as unable to give actual consent. So the law is more centred around a person whos 12 not being capable of providing consent then the act itself being wrong. But it doesnt change the fact that the person who is attracted to children has as much say as a gay man liking men or me liking women. My morale issue is with the people who exploit children for profit through sex slavery and child pornography. I try not to waste hate on people who have little control. The “want” is psychological and the “act” is illegal. Wrong or right that’s what it comes down to.

Technically, there is something ‘wrong’ with them and they should seek help. However, I see what you’re trying to get at. We shouldn’t just auto-assume these people are going to rape children but they should get help in the event that they may not be able to contain themselves later in life.

agree with your important distinction between feelings/impulses and actions. this may be the single biggest awareness that needs to be raised about the whole thing. i tend to disagree tho on your equating the acceptability of homosexually oriented priests with pedophile priests. take two priests, one gay, other ped, and assume both has equal likelihood of giving into temptation. if the gay priest does, well that may break the church’s rules, but not society’s rules (ie, laws). this is not true for pedophile, however. bottom line, if you are the bishop and you know about both these two men’s inclinations, you should immediately fire the pedophile but give the gay priest a chance to keep his vows since the gay priest is functionally the same as a straight priest who has agreed to suppress his sexual desires for women.

The fact that the pedophiles RAPE children. They aren’t suppressing these ‘feelings’ they have they are acting on them and rapeing children. We need to bring back public executions for these sick bastards.

Please don’t bring in your relativizing cultural/societal construct arguments “There are some cultures in which sex with young children is the norm, the children are neither psychically nor psychologically harmed by this interaction.” People can cite “cultural evidence” for lots of sick behavior, it isn’t a justification. Child sexual abuse is outlawed nearly everywhere in the world, generally with severe criminal penalties, including in some jurisdictions, life imprisonment or capital punishment. An adult’s sexual intercourse with a child below the legal age of consent is defined as statutory rape, based on the principle that a child is not capable of consent and that any apparent consent by a child is not considered to be legal consent.

He becomes sick right around the time he realizes how he wants to insert himself into a child. And a pedophile is always sick. It doesn’t matter if they don’t act on their urges to take the innocence of a child. If a schizophrenic is not in the middle of an episode, are they not still mentally ill?

Because the social stigma placed upon them will never be released. I can be open-minded enough to understand where you are coming from. But if I were to find out one of my adult friends was a virtuous pedophile I would/will remove them from my life. One momentary lapse of reason can hurt a child. Possibly even cause great confusion and damage to their sexual maturity. I wish you all the joy and luck your situation can provide.

Your use of insults to discredit them makes me think that, without the ability to make a compelling argument using reason, YOU may be the childish one. There’s no need for hate. A simple “I disagree with the redditors who showed up. I wish they hadn’t showed up.”
Calling a huge internet community low IQ, immature pre-teen girls might make you feel better, but it isn’t getting your point across and just makes you look dumb, not them.

I am appalled by some of the comments on this article, but not yours; that was actually a very well rounded and thought provoking comment.
However, “But it doesnt change the fact that the person who is attracted to children has as much say as a gay man liking men or me liking women.” – I do not agree with this mindset. Sometimes I want to punch people in the face when they upset me, but I don’t. A poor example, I know, but what I’m trying to say is, have some self control. An adult having sex with a child can completely ruin a person mentally. To add rape into the scenario is to add a certainty that a young person will be changed forever in a bad way, and any adult should know better. Especially a priest, who is revered by many to be the highest of role models.

I am appalled by some of the comments on this article, but not yours; that was actually a very well rounded and thought provoking comment.
However, “But it doesnt change the fact that the person who is attracted to children has as much say as a gay man liking men or me liking women.” – I do not agree with this mindset. Sometimes I want to punch people in the face when they upset me, but I don’t. A poor example, I know, but what I’m trying to say is, have some self control. An adult having sex with a child can completely ruin a person mentally. To add rape into the scenario is to add a certainty that a young person will be changed forever in a bad way, and any adult should know better. Especially a priest, who is revered by many to be the highest of

James took time to explain very well, thanks; however, holyhandgrenadesbatman has made a really insightful distinction. Thanks h. In any event the pedophile should be helped/prayed for because he has a sickness he did not choose.

Men join the church because they are paedophiles. Being a priest provides the certain opportunity to satisfy their desires for child sex. They certainly don’t believe the story about eternal damnation or they wouldn’t join. They’re patient predators.